U. Texas Anti-Trump Demonstration Promises Social Justice ‘Twerkshop’

Facebook19 Jan 2017Austin, TX

An eclectic array of protests are scheduled to take place across Texas in response to Donald Trump’s inauguration, promising to galvanize a gamut of outrage in social justice marches, civil rights group demonstrations, college and high school student actions, women’s rights rallies, and feminist empowerment “twerking” sessions.

On Friday, in Austin, civil rights group “One Resistance” will hold an inauguration protest, where they organize, and support one another while they “denounce” Trump’s alleged politics of fear and hate. In this “call to action” they plan to rally for “civil rights, immigrants’ rights, reproductive rights, our environment, jobs, justice and safety” for all. The University of Texas at Austin is participating in this event and, according to KXAN, students will walk out of their classes at 12 p.m. (CT). The group told the Austin TV news outlet that area high school students will also exit classrooms at 3 p.m., an hour and a half prior to what the Austin Independent School District considers dismissal. An Austin ISD spokesperson said they never encourage students to leave school and if they do attend this protest Friday it will count against them as an unexcused absence.

The One Resistance group asserts “America faces a crisis” and Donald Trump’s presidency threatens millions.” Participating organizations number nearly 50, so far, and include a wide variety of social justice, labor and leftwing activist groups. All are welcome to attend this “safe, family-friendly community event.” Protesters will meet at 5 p.m. to march towards the State Capitol with a post-demonstration rally following.

Meanwhile, on the UT-Austin campus, booty-gyrating 75 minute “twerkshops” take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday. “Twerk the Inauguration,” is a “woman of color feminist twerkshop” with Shakia Williams, whose “Sins Burlesque & Cabaret” will bring students together to “shake what your mama gave you and twerk for black and brown, cis and trans women’s empowerment.”

According to their promotional literature, twerkshops allow empowered woman to “move together like nasty women, claim our bodies as our own, ungrabbable assets, and share self-care and community building.”

Twerkshops are sponsored by the UT-Austin Center for Women’s & Gender Studies in collaboration with Dr. Omise’eke Tinsley, who teaches the campus course, Beyoncé Feminism/Rihanna Womanism. Tinsley’s class introduces media studies methodology, black feminist theory, and “challenges us to imagine what gender politics look like when black women, and the U.S. South, become central rather than peripheral to our worldviews.” No previous dance experience is necessary to “twerk it out” over the inauguration.

Across the state on Saturday, empowered women will continue to stand in solidarity with the Women’s March on Washington for those who could not make it to the nation’s capital for this protest. In Austin, Dallas, Denton, Fort Worth, and Houston free, “inclusive” sister marches intend to “send a bold message to our new administration on their first day in office that women’s rights are human rights,” as noted by the Denton Democratic party’s event information.

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